Thy Thap Can Overfloweth

I neglected my sap cans after boiling down the first batch. Freezing at night and in the forties by day, the temperatures became perfect for sap flow after the warm spell had ended. I took the earlier flows to be the norm, but how wrong I was. Every can was overflowing, even the tree that could hardly produce a third of a can at last collection. 

There's no telling how much sap flowed over. The wooden spiles are leaky, but not this leaky. The snug-fitting lids were swollen, releasing a spritz of sap when relieved. All four cans tipped for an easy two hundred fifty six ounces boiled down the same day to a sticky eight. I'm kind of hoping the flow slows down as we will be away for a spell and unable to collect.

Snow on the Sugar Tree

I woke to collect any sap to come after the prior tipping.

That's when the snow began to fall.

Two hundred fifty six ounces of sap, nearly fluid as water, and hardly sweet.

And the snow continued to fall.

The sap continued to boil, scenting the kitchen with caramelized sugar.

And as the snow began to accumulate

the sap grew thicker and thicker.

Nearing one fortieth the volume, it left the pot for the filter.

When it was over, four inches of snow

and eight sweet ounces of maple syrup. 

Sugar Tree

It takes forty gallons of maple sap to yield one gallon of maple syrup. 

Archaic drilling tools are not the way to go. How on earth did they use these? A strong cordless drill and short and sharp boring bit is the way to go for just a few trees. Please be careful while hiking on slippery slopes with long, sharp tools.

If the sap is running, a clear liquid should be expelled once the hole is bored. Note the thickness of the bark and the lighter wood inside. Drill a hole around 2.5 inches deep, sloped upward by a few degrees to promote draining, The circumference of the hole is entirely dependent on the circumference of the spile. I used a half-inch bit.

A healthy tree and clean tap hole will heal in time.

We couldn't find Rex's old metal spiles, so I made some real quick out of half-inch wood dowel. After cutting the dowel to length, I drilled an eighth-inch wide hole down its length and then cut a small perpendicular groove.

The can was drilled to slip over the spile, then hook into the cut groove.

 And the sap flows into the can.

Wearing cans for the next several days.